Hopping on a really big boat, part 1

Cruising isn’t for everyone, but we like being able to unpack just once when we get on a ship and then check out several locations in a short amount of time. We take cruises to find places we’d like to return to for a longer stay, and it’s nice to not worry about cooking, doing dishes or making our bed for a few days!

Between the two of us, Steve is definitely the cruise lover (although I don’t mind tagging along!). This was our sixth cruise since 2000, and our second since we’ve been full-timing on the road. Some things we’ve learned that might help if you’re booking your first cruise with Royal Caribbean:

If possible, be sure to get a balcony room. Inside rooms, and even outside rooms with windows can be claustrophobic, and there’s nothing like being able to sit out on your balcony to read or enjoy your favorite beverage at the end of the day.

Consider the “early seating” for dinner, to maximize the entertainment options available on the ship in the evening. You’ll also have more time to digest all of that amazing food before going to bed.

Shore excursions taken during the stops can get expensive. You may find that catching a taxi to see an area is more affordable than what the cruise line offers. Be careful to get a reputable ride, though; talk to the cruise travel person on the ship to learn how to avoid getting ripped off. They are usually very helpful in this regard. But if there’s an excursion that looks fun, take it! Although they can sometimes be a bit rushed, they usually do a good job and the cruise line sanctions them.

Steve is partial to the beautiful islands of the caribbean, so this time he booked a 7-day southern caribbean cruise on board Royal Caribbean’s Jewel of the Seas. Our ports of call were Tortola, British Virgin Islands; Basseterre, St Kitts; Philipsburg, St Maarten; Roseau, Dominica and Bridgetown, Barbados. Following our three days of fun in San Juan, we boarded our ship and were off.

Before the ship departs, a mandatory emergency drill takes place. Every passenger must report to their muster area to learn the procedures. It’s easy and fast, then the partying begins!

Muster area where the huge lifeboats hang, ready to go

It takes a day or two just to learn where everything is on these massive ships – this one had 12 decks total. Although there are many elevators, we always take the stairs so we can burn some of the calories gained when we eat the wonderful meals. During this cruise, Steve put on 7 pounds, and I hate to admit I put on 4. Oh my goodness, we have some serious exercising to do!

If you get lost, just refer to this map on each deck

The fabulous atrium on Jewel of the Seas

Atrium of our ship looking down

A quick pose before dinner

The daily paper with news and activities

One of the long halls to our stateroom

I won a drawing at the spa and got some goodies!

Departing San Juan, Puerto Rico

Our first port of call was Tortola, British Virgin Islands. Since we didn’t see any shore excursions that appealed to us, we went to Cane Garden Bay Beach to hang out and swim in the beautiful clear warm water. Since it was on the far side of the island we got to ride over the mountain on the twisty road, driving on the left side of the road. It was a bit hairy, but we had some great views of nearby islands.

A rainbow greeted us as we arrived at Tortola – good times ahead!

And what has this contestant won, Vanna?

Our funky ride to the gorgeous beach

The beach was loaded with bars and restaurants – love it!

Not something you see on the beach every day

Yours truly with St. Thomas in the distance

Our next stop was at St. Maarten, which Steve had been looking forward to for years. Why? Well, he had seen the Youtube videos of airliners coming in right over the beach to land at the airport there and he had dreamed of experiencing it firsthand. So, we caught a taxi just off the ship and went straight there.

Someone is happy to arrive at St. Maarten!

We were fortunate to arrive at Maho Bay Beach early, because it turns out this is a very popular attraction. We found ourselves a good table at the Sunset Restaurant and began partying at 9:30am as we waited for the first airliner to arrive.

We liked this “arrival board” for airliners

Most of the beach goers were here just to watch the planes coming in right over their heads. This spot has become so popular that the restaurant aptly named their pizzas after airlines, and the entrepreneurs charged $20 for a beach chair!

Pizzas were listed by “airline”, and very yummy

This is so cool, you have to be here to experience it!

It’s not just the landings that people come to see, the takeoffs are pretty interesting too. A large jet engine at full power can flip a car over, and we were amazed to see people blown across the beach as an airliner powered up for takeoff. Fortunately, Steve had no desire to stand behind that one!

Planes taking off can actually blow people off the beach and into the water

Click on the video below that I took of an airliner coming in right over Steve on the beach. Believe me when I tell you he was in heaven! This takes one off his bucket list.

The island has a simple way of directing traffic.

Here’s how they state the obvious…

OK, this must be the exit…

Why not stop for one of the island’s famous GuavaBerry drinks on the way back to the ship?

Back on the ship, we ogled our neighbors from France on the cruise ship Riviera next door.

Checking out the neighbors

Cruise ship commute hour

Cruise sunsets – you only get one at each stop!

On several nights, our room steward put a smile on our faces by creating “towel animals” for us.

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What a really, really cool trip! Hats off to Steve for picking the right spots to go to. Really something I would be very interested at going to. Wait. the atrium looks lovely but you on that dress… kagandahan naman! 😀 And then Steve, he really likes those Bohol shirts. 😀

Great post and story, as if I was on the cruise with you. We also like cruises, since we love the ocean, and as Hector says “you unpack your bags and they move the hotel”. We also almost never take the ship excursions, very expensive and too many people and have had good luck finding independent excursions. And now I’m really jealous out here in the desert.
Brenda

You’re right about a balcony cabin … the problem is, once you experience one of them, it is impossible to go back to an inside or oceanview 😉

Haven’t been to Tortola yet … one of these years we’ll find an itinerary that includes BVI. We’ve been to St Maarten a couple of times, opting to enjoy our day at Kakao Beach, but once I show Mui what Maho beach is all about, he’ll want to go there next time. I take it Steve remembered to duck when the plane flew over him 😉

That’s so cool….we actually watched the planes land and take off there on a tv special! Your video and photos are awesome! You and Steve are so healthy, it won’t be anytime till you are back in tip-top shape!

We did “almost” that same cruise on RC Serenade of the Seas a few years ago and loved it. I adored Old San Juan as much as the islands we saw on the cruise, but must admit that the beach on Antigua is by far the best one we have ever been to. I would love a do-over of that whole trip sometime. Hmmm… you didn’t visit the nude beach on St. Maarten… on the east side of the island as I recall? haha We love cruising but have not been since buying the motor home. I miss it. Lovely pictures!

We’re not fans of cruises but you are so right when you said you get to sample different places that you could later go back for a longer stay. That beach had to be a fun stop. Hope you guys wore ear protection LOL. It sure is easy to over eat on those cruises…..yikes on the weight gain, but knowing you two, you’ll be back out hiking and biking burning off those pounds 🙂

So sorry our excursion on St. Maartan was cancelled. Guess we should have done the taxi thing. But something about visiting th beach in the rain wasn’t real appealing. I can understand the need for a pilot to experience this. I do recognize that sign!!

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The Lowes

We (Steve and Mona Liza) retired early at the beginning of 2012, sold our house and almost all of our belongings and moved into our RV. We are pursuing our dream of traveling the U.S. and Canada for several years and seeing everything and everyplace we can.